Friday Feature

Charm your greetings no matter the season with non other than the charming works of Kat and drew cards located at www.katndrewcards.etsy.com. Kat n drew cards is one of our very own Etsy greetings artisans that make gift giving extraordinarily simple. Wow, a card and a gift enclosed in one, who would of thunk it? Why Kat and Drew cards of course. Today they treat us with a gracious hello and some great words of wisdom. Ladies and gentleman here is the dynamic crew of

Kat n Drew Cards

.etsy.com

&

We are Kat and Drew.....

....the duo that makes cards and jewelry, pairing them uniquely together to create gift cards all in one. Staying true to our items, we are about giving more than cards, spreading inspiration and support with every vantage we can muster including supporting charities, featuring artists work and buying local from starting artists (when we can)!
I'm drew and together with Kat, we make cards. More than making cards, we write stories with everything we make. It has certainly been a journey coming to know how our creativity would take form but we're starting to figure it out. We're located all over Canada, really, because we shift and move whereever we feel like at the time but our home base is always Vineland, Ontario and its there that we've really blossomed our creativity. Kat takes on the cards, mostly, and I take on the words, mostly, but we are so involved in one another's creativity, sharing ideas and opinions, that we basically make everything together.
I, Drew, move back and forth from Vancouver, BC to Ontario depending on when school is on while Kat holds down the fort in Ontario. Tea breaks are a MUST around here as well as a break time outside to recharge.

The first item that started us off....

..... was a card from our "4YR Classic Cards" line. It incorporates a scrapbooking design, beaded jewelry and poetic writing all in one. The card was for Friendship, I believe, and was what started us working together from day one!
http://www.katndrewcards.ca/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=64&category_id=6&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=410

My technique includes a tea, most days...

I can't really write the most inspirational stuff every second of the day so music and movies usually provoke the good stuff. As for Kat, the morning is her greatest tool - she can do ANYTHING in the morning. Not to say the afternoon isn't productive but some of her most creative cards have come at the beginning of the day. I'd say the cuttlebug embosser is pretty high up there too. They just make such great impressions. However, usually a need drives the creation of cards. If we feel we cannot provide a card for a certain emotion or give support for a situation, we are on it to make sure we can help give you something - its all about giving and we try to follow that as much as possible

Love it, love it, love it ...

These small cards from our "4YR Cute Cards" collection are my favourite right now. They support our HEART2HEART campaign which showcases local and international artists and entrepreneurs with a portion of the profits - plus they're super cute.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50860699/embossed-cute-cards-with-charms

We dream ....

Big, Really big. Martha Stewart, Oprah, Hallmark, big. Not to say we want to be any of these specifically but there is definitely something to basing your business around giving and creativity and the more people we can share that with, the better. If we can create and share with everyone we'd be just peachy.

You can find us ...

Everywhere, I believe. Multiple shops and sites as well as social networking sites. Have a look and say hey! We like to chat.

Shop
http://www.katndrewcards.ca/
www.etsy.com/shop/katndrewcards
www.etsy.com/shop/beyondcharms
Become a fan
www.twitter.com/katndrewcards
Facebook search 'Kat n' Drew Cards'

Follow
http://www.itsthatkat.blogspot.com/

Words of Wisdom

Anything we create is sort of an advertisement for the masterpiece we are as individuals. We are all masterpieces because at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day, there is always, only, you. so why not believe in yourself.

Thank you to all of you! and to Rocio for featuring us.
Giving only spurs more giving and that is the goal here.

Oh no no my dears, thank you for the opportunity to share your talents with all

our fabulous readers oh yes and not to mention the world. Let me be the first to say congratulations on beeing featured. - Cisne

This friday feature has been inspired by: http://www.katndrewcards.etsy.com/

shared with you by: http://www.cisnexpressions.etsy.com/

Keep it fabulous .. keep it crafty.. Etsy Greetings

Friday Feature

It is said that behind a brilliant man is an extraordinary woman. In fact, she is a woman of grand detail in modern realism and artistry and this weeks featured artist, Delin of www.delincolon.etsy.com. Married to a man of great talent in the arts she has shown to be an artistic visionary herself. Her arts are composed of simplistic intricate adbstract shapes and figures that come together in illusive explosive colors. Like a parade of lights her artistry will capture you and draw you into her world of expressive sculptives.

I am Delin Colon...


I guess it gives everyone pause to describe what they're all about, especially for those of us a decade beyond the half-century mark who've had a few different incarnations in this life alone.I grew up in a small artists' colony on the east coast of the U.S.and have been fortunate to have been shown the art in the world all around us. I've lived in many places on both coasts, my philosophy having been that if you want to know a place, you've got to know the people, and that means living there for awhile. My degrees are in French and Clinical Psychology, but I owned a successful stair building company for 25 years before retiring and moving to the Washington coast. I enjoy people, but do a lot of solitary activities like writing and my crafts. I have no favorite colors or items. I'm largely indiscriminate about enjoying the world around me. But I am more than a little partial to my two mini-dachshunds (one long-haired, one short-haired) and my very devoted and perfect husband.

The first item that started me in my craft...

I was about 7 years old. My mother is an artist who often gave us various media (paints, clay, etc.) to create with. But in this particular craft, I was at my best friend's house across the street from mine. The artist Ben Shahn, who lived nearby, had a grown daughter who was visiting my friend's parents. She took out some construction paper and just told us to cut out different shapes. Once we were done, she told us to arrange the shapes onto another piece of paper, then glue them down, and just see what we came up with. On that occasion it was a face. (I seem to lean toward faces.) On other occasions, they were just abstracts.

What is your favorite technique at the moment and what tool do you favor the most in your shop?

This type of collage - just cutting out shapes and pasting them onto paper - is what I enjoy doing at the moment. I guess my favorite tool is my scanner/printer which allows me to put the images onto cards and make prints, so that I can keep the original.

What inspires your creations and what sparks your creativity?

It's strange, but often, I dream the images and what shapes I need to cut out to make them. Sometimes I just cut out the shapes with no preconceived notion of what I'm going to make, but most often I dream the images.

Name one favorite item from your store and why is it so dear to you?

I think Serene Face (http://www.etsy.com/listing/41214996/serene-face-print-11-inx14-in-matted) which I have in both print and greeting card form, is my favorite because it's the first one I dreamed in this series, which I just started in 2009. Her face is just so warm, understanding, forgiving and non-judgmental, I'd like her to be my best friend.

What does your future have in store?

I'm very much a here-and-now kind of person (ok,yes, an old hippie), thinking that the tide of the present will naturally lead to the ocean of the future, so I tend not to stock up on goals, BUT personally, I've been working on a historical book that I'd like to finish and publish before the end of the year. As a crafter/ shop owner, I'd like to know that other people get some pleasure out of what I do - and I guess sales would be an indicator of that, so I'd like to be successful in that department.

I can be found at:
www.delincolon.etsy.com
www.delin-colon.fineartamerica.com

Words of Wisdom ...

I think it's a fallacy that wisdom comes with age, especially if you fried a few brain cells in the sixties (I often say that the difference the last 45 years made for me was switching from acid to antacid.) However, obvious as it is, I do feel it's extremely important to enjoy what you do. I think it's essential to have a passion for something in life and then occupy yourself with it. Then life becomes an artform itself. As my husband always says,"Art without emotion is mathematics" (www.discoveredartists.com/davidcolon)

Aww inspiring woman. Wow, modest, humble and extremely talented. A great visionary and one of my favorite "hippie" with a delightful story. Thank you for the opportunity such a wonderful gal.

Keep it handcrafted...Keep it local.... Keep it Etsy

EtsyGreetings .. keeping it real

Cisne
Blogged by: Cisnexpressions.etsy.com
Inspired by: delincolon.etsy.com

Friday Feature

Friday friday ya'll. What a better way to start up the morning

than with a deep breath of the summer breeze as it carries the birds morning song through the morning sky.

or

The warm fuzzy feeling as you discover your correspondence holds a Bay breeze design card for

It's as good as a morning summer breeze? You bet it is. Creative, innovative and dashing designs

in your mail box. Wow what a great start to this wonderful friday.

Shop : http://www.baybreezedesigns.etsy.com/ for your summer breeze.

As captivation and inviting as a baybreezedesign card is the treasure lies further off the page and into the heart of their creater.

Even more dynamic is the majestry of the creative and here is her story.

Introducing;
BAyBREEzeDEsiGnS

My name is Pam Wachowicz and I’m a stay at home mom of a beautiful 19 month old girl who is my source of inspiration and motivation! My Etsy shop is Bay Breeze Designs where I make handmade invitations, card and gift tags. My husband and I celebrated five years of marriage this past May and we also have an adorable Jack Russell Terrier named Jazzy. Before becoming a mom, I worked in the corporate world in the field of marketing, but always enjoyed being crafty. I loved planning my wedding! Working on the invitations, dinner menus and programs was so much fun! I knew designing invitations, programs, menus and other items was something I enjoyed doing and hoped to have the opportunity to do it again.

What first item started you in your craft?

I began rubber stamping 4 years ago as a way to unleash my creative side. I made an invite for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower and was asked by a few of the attendees if I sold them. At the time, I was honored by the compliment, but never gave it much thought. Then along came my daughter. My husband and I wanted me to stay at home and I needed to find a way to supplement the income. I’ve been creating invites & dinner menus for family and friends for a few years and decided to give my dream a go.

What is your favorite technique and what tool do you favor the most in your shop?

I work primarily with rubber stamps, punches and die cuts. Currently my favorite supply when creating my invites/cards are the 3-D foam squares. I love bringing dimension to a card any chance I get.

What inspires your creations and what sparks your creativity?

Weddings, babies and any other special events. I just love to see the pure joy on people’s faces during these special moments in their lives. I love to hear their story and see how to capture the essence of the special event!

Name a favorite item from your store and why is it so dear to you?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/42606663/bridal-shower-invitations-with-matching
This matching bridal shower invite and thank you card set as it is where it all began! It also has been one of the favorites in my shop. I love this stamp set as it provides me with the versatility to use with multiple colors beautifully!

What are your future goals as a shop owner/crafter?

My future goal is to grow my shop. I’ve been selling on Etsy for a little over a year. My goal is to reach 100 sales by the end of this year. After reaching that goal, my long term goal would be to go back to my original dream of incorporating graphic design into my shop and possibly intermix the two techniques.

Where can we find you .. etsy .. facebook... blog... etc.

SHOP http://baybreezedesigns.etsy.com/
BLOG http://baybreezedesigns.blogspot.com/
TWEET http://twitter.com/baybreezedesign
FACEBOOK http://facebook.com/baybreezedesign

Any special advice, comments, wisdom or thank you's that you would like to share with us.

My advice is to never give up. If it was not for my good friend, Lisa, over at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Craftbusplus, I would have given up awhile ago. Stay motivated, stay connected with teams like the EtsyGreetings team and know it takes time for things to start happening. Just love what you do, stay focused, & have fun!

Enjoying the delight of summer.

Blogged by: Cisnexpressions.etsy.com
Inspired by: Baybreeze designs.com

Paperpath

In my daily treasury ventures I came across some great treasuries in which I found one of our very own members, Rachel Smith of Paper Path.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c25732e778c6d91722991d7/traces
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c3b07a678206d91c4ad10cc/blue-and-red-with-no
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c3b0084cff58eef5a11874b/you-heart-me-like-red
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c2d22a624d48eef0e875d34/feeling-bookish?index=3

Rachel's artwork is a vision in motion of artistic delight. Her pieces liven the sences as abstract and aestetic illustrations collaborate into works of artistic mechanics.

Today she is sharing her love and wisdom with us. We are glad to have her.

Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Rachel Smith and I am currently living in Idaho with my husband, Taylor and two cats. I love to zip around on our scooter, take photos with vintage film cameras and scour thrift stores for inspiration. I'm about to begin my third, and final year of graduate school and will finish with my Master’s in Fine Art. I am particularly drawn to things that are left over by society and repurposing those items to create new implications and contexts by reorganizing preexisting images, texts, texture, etc. My etsy shop, Paper Path, is a nice reprieve from some of the tedium of studying and stress of graduate school. I have found it to be a great creative outlet that challenges me in a completely different way than my fine art installations and collages. I am enjoying the challenge of making cards, collages and crafts that are not oriented around a gallery setting, but still creative with a small business twist.

What was the first craft project that began your Etsy venture?

I have been making art for as long as I can remember. So to be perfectly honest my first item that started my craft was crayons applied to my parents’ living room walls. Now a days found objects and materials motivate most of my artwork. I am constantly collecting bits and pieces that are discarded by people. I’ve always made unique gifts and cards for my friends and family and when I discovered etsy it was a perfect way to expand my audience and make a profit off of my craft.

What is your primary technique & what tool do you favor the most in your shop

I work primarily in mixed media/collage. My process is "cut + paste" making my favorite tools glue and scissors and lots and lots of collecting. I collect papers of all kind. Anything I encounter in my day-to-day life, travels and thrift store hunting can become fodder for my next project.

What inspires your creations and what sparks your creativity?

Memories and nostalgia play a huge role in inspiring my work. Found objects and imagery are essential to my work, because I feel that such items retain traces of past ownership, which directly reference memories. I am also drawn to imagery representing systems. Maps, anatomy illustrations, sewing patterns and grids are items that I’m constantly using.

Name one favorite item from your store and why is it so dear to you?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/49119721/storybook-collage
This collage is currently my favorite item on my shop, because I feel like it encapsulates everything that I want my work to be about. I find the tension between intimacy and exposure of the found images and texts to reference ideas of personal and collective memories already embedded in the items while continuing to create a new narrative.

What are your future goals for you personally and as a crafter?

My future goals are to finish up my final year of graduate school with a strong show and thesis next spring. Sometime in the future I would love to start a gallery and restaurant with my husband who is a chef. What’s better together than food, wine and art! As for my shop I would really like to continue to expand it to include a wider variety of handmade paper items. I would also like to start to incorporate more of my fine art collages and projects into my store.

Find This Weeks Featured Shop @

etsy store paper path:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/paperpath

as well as my blog paper trail:
http://rachelsmithart.blogspot.com/

special advice, comments, wisdom from this weeks featured shop

Keep colleting, creating and caring.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Inspired by Paperpath.etsy.com

Created by www.Cisnexpressions.etsy.com

keep it real ~ keep it handcrafted ~ keep it Etsy Greetings

Greetings Friday - FionaDesigns

Good day to you all from Etsy Greetings!

Today we have a treat of a bargain and another fine shop to share with you.

Fiona Designs' cards has been featured in many treasuries on etsy and I'm happy to say she is now gracing us with her passion, expertise and great cards. She has been featured on the following treasuries
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c3a08749be26d910a3f70b2/typographical?index=0
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c36e486a4088eeff9662230/bubblegum
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c31edb88c818eef948f6ffa/a-profuse-of-chartreuse

and she continues to share her passions through her thoughts, feelings and expressions of color and sentiments in her wonderful cards. See her work in the treasuries above or in her shop but today she is found with us here at Etsy Greetings. She is curently offering great items at great prices in the latest christmas in July Etsy sale. What a great beginning to what has begun a bargain weekend. Great deals aside here on Ety Greetings fridays is the best way to get to know your favorite shop owners. Therefore I am pleased to introduce you to Fiona the mastermind, designer, creater, amongst other things, shop owner of Fionadesigns located athttp://www.fionadesigns.etsy.com/ .

{ Tell us a little about yourself...}

{ I am a } Stationery Designer . Artist . Graphic Designer . Photographer . Knitter.
I am a graphic designer and an artist, designing stationery and greeting cards, and also have corporate experience as an art director at a Fortune 1000 company. I earned an MFA in 2000 from Parsons School of Design. Designing stationery is what I am passionate about. Creating sentiments and then placing them on the page until I am happy with the layout is enjoyable and satisfying. Then it's on to color (and Pantone swatches!!) and finally picking that perfect shimmery envelope to color coordinate with the design. I am relatively new to etsy and I am thoroughly enjoying the etsy greetings team and am slightly (okay - really) addicted to creating treasuries which I have only recently discovered.

{ What was the first item{s} that started you in your craft? }

There were actually two holiday cards that got me started.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/48580760/holly-jolly-jolly-greeting-card
http://www.etsy.com/listing/48572672/noel-greeting-card

{ What is your favorite technique at the moment

and what tool do you favor the most in your shop? }

The tool that I use most often is my computer - I am a huge Mac fan. I also would be lost without all the wonderful typefaces and quality printing businesses out there!

{ What inspires your creations and what sparks your creativity? }

So many things inspire me - the loved ones in my life especially - many of the sentiments on the cards were created with them in mind. From a visual perspective I am constantly inspired and in awe of nature, flowers, birds, landscapes, you name it. I love taking photographs that you can see on my blog. Knitting and painting pet portraits in acrylics also really sparks my creativity.

{ Name one favorite item from your store and why is it so dear to you? }

It's so difficult to pick a favorite but the most meaningful design is "welcome to the world oh sweet little one" as it was created with my newborn niece in mind at the time.

{ What are your future goals, personally and as a shop owner/crafter? }

I want to continue to expand xed notes and flats are coming soon! A card will be posted every day in July in conjunction with Fiona Designs' "Christmas in July Sale."

{ Let us know where we can find you .. etsy .. facebook... blog... etc. }
http://fionadesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/FionaDesigns
http://www.fionadesigns.com/


{Any special advice, comments, wisdom or thank yous you would like to share with pur readers?}
I want to say thank you to the etsy greetings team for this opportunity!

There you got it folks simple and sweet down to the core.

This has been another delightful Etsy Greetings day

Until next time { keep it real keep it handcrafted keep it Etsy Greetings}

Signing off ~ Cisnexpressions

Cisnexpressions.etsy.com